I Still Love the Church

Last Sunday, I preached on “Why I Still Love the Church!”  The motivation came from reading from so many that the “Church is in decline,” or “the Church is dying” or “the Church is no longer relevant for me.”  We hear and read it so much that we actually want to believe it.  We get pounded and pounded with those words that we can’t help but believe it to be true.  

 

Yet, Scripture says “Christ loves the Church and gave Himself for Her” and that the Church is the “Bride of Christ!”  Scripture says that Christ loved the Church and chose to use the Church as His plan for modeling the love of Christ to our world.

 

If the given, or baseline, is that Christ loved the Church and uses His Church for His followers to be God’s workers to transform the world, whatever the challenges that the Church faces today, much like the challenges the church has faced for every generation, can be faced and overcome without all the dire announcements.

 

Regardless of our challenges, I still love the Church because

1. It is a place to Worship my Lord

2. It is a place of Hope that I need to hear regularly in a world that gives us hopelessness

3. It is a place of seeing and being with my brothers and sisters of faith.

4. It is a place of reading, teaching and hearing God’s Word.

5. It is a place from the Gospel changes lives and Salvation occurs.

6. It is a place where a bit of heaven can be found.

 

Yes, the church faces challenges today.  But we can be relevant as God’s Word is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

 

I have attached a link to article from a Millennial who writes why she loves the church.  Read it!

 

http://whitneycapps.com/2015/01/20/open-letter-people-writing-sharing-open-letters-whats-wrong-church/

 

I hope that you will join us for worship this Sunday as the people of God meet!

 

Rich